Sharing ≠ Caring?

“And he said, ‘Do you plan to kill me as you have killed the Mitzri?’ Moshe became frightened and said, ‘Indeed, the matter has become known!’ ” (Shemos 2:14)

Rashi explains that Moshe was understandably concerned for his safety. The midrash, however, says Moshe was frightened that since there were informers among the Jewish People, perhaps they weren’t worthy of redemption.

Maharal goes further and explains that one who possesses a loose tongue doesn’t deserve redemption.

Why is discretion a key value for redemption?  (Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, based on Gur Aryeh)

“Thanks for sharing.”

It’s the fuzzy-wuzzy, feel-good, sign-off line of our generation. But sometimes I’m tempted to answer, “Thanks for not sharing.”

Seriously? Your detailed description of your family’s bout with the stomach flu? Did I really need to know all that? TMPI. Too Much Personal Information.

Still, I’ve been privileged to know a lot of non-sharers. There are some people who you just know will be discreet and respect your privacy. People like your sister, your best friend, your sheitelmacher. At least you hope so.

If you had to sum up the essence of a nation, you’d look to well-known behaviors, interests, and core characteristics.

Yet if you attempted this exercise on Klal Yisrael, the kernel of truth within us doesn’t belong to the world of open and obvious behavior. Rather, it stems from a level that’s deep and profound, and not given to display. (This is a truism of life. Things that are deeper and more profound remain hidden; things that are placed in the public domain and well-trafficked are never very deep.)

It’s in that deep, private place that Klal Yisrael shows its affinity for Hashem. And that personal connection to Hashem is what makes it inappropriate for Klal Yisrael to remain subjugated to any temporal power.

I’m privileged to have a great friend, let’s call her Adina, who’s one of these vaults. Everything you tell her gets locked away and is never released without permission. Not only that, you have no idea she even has the information, so careful is she about not sharing details. As a result, people tell her everything, friends, strangers, you name it. She’s got it all locked up safely — she could knock the socks off Fort Knox.